Madeline Cohodes /
Bellevue Hospital Program for Survivors of Torture /
New York, USA
My name is Madeline Cohodes and I have just finished my third year as a dual-degree BA/MPH student. My undergraduate Gallatin concentration focuses on extrapolating issues found in healthcare to broader societal contexts, and my master’s concentration is in public health policy.
This summer, I will continue my current internship at the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT), a nonprofit that supports people affected by torture, a human rights violation. Torture can inflict not only physical but psychological and emotional pain, and PSOT works with immigrant and refugee communities to provide medical, social, legal, and mental health services. The program’s medical/mental health components include a multifaceted combination of primary care and referrals to trauma-informed therapists, psychiatrists, and group therapy.
All of these services work to restore and improve our clients’ health. More broadly, the services address issues beyond basic medical assistance, such as how to achieve a stable immigration status, adequate housing, and an overarching sense of safety. Such things are necessary for most people to feel healthy mentally, or at least feel secure enough to focus on their mental health. Furthermore, fiscal stability is necessary in the context of the American healthcare system to gain access to non-emergency care.
PSOT assists in stabilizing these critical needs and providing further assistance with clients’ needs. The work my colleagues and I do at PSOT helps to ensure that the human right to health encompasses all aspects of wellbeing.
As the operations and development intern at PSOT, I will continue this summer to assist clients with scheduling appointments in all of these areas. I will also refer clients to grants that compensate people impacted by COVID-19 and will monitor new clients’ cases so that I can connect them to necessary resources. Additionally, I will assist with grant writing and research projects.